To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed the entire object, paste this HTML in websiteTo link to this page, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed this page, paste this HTML in website

Reflections : the official newsletter of Northeastern State University, 04/2013

REFLECTIONS
THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF NORTHEASTERN STATE UNIVERSITY
APRIL 2013
Wadley Clinic improves literacy of 89-year-old veteran
For adults, the skills of reading were achieved
in days so bygone that they may barely
remember how it occurred: the long hours of
learning the alphabet, sounding out letters,
then syllables, then whole words, then the
years it took to go from spluttering over
“Dick and Jane” to silently absorbing “The
Outsiders” or Harry Potter.
In a lifetime now spanning 89 years,
Cookson resident Ed Bray had not completed
the process.
“I never could read very much,” he said. “I
made myself learn to read cans in stores or
recognize signs with pictures or symbols. But
I couldn’t read the directions on the back of
the cans.”
Hearing Bray recount his life, it seems
improbable that he could hide his disability
for so long.
He landed at Normandy on D-Day as a
military policeman and was later pressed into
front-line combat with the 94th Infantry
Division as a replacement. He was awarded a
Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.
After the war, Bray spent most of his civilian
career working at Tinker Air Force Base in
Oklahoma City. He moved to Cookson upon
his retirement in 1982.
Dr. Tobi Thompson, director of the Capitola
“Cappi” Wadley Center for Reading and
Technology at NSU, began tutoring him in
October 2012. In late February, he read his
first book by himself.
Bray had previously sought help with his
reading skills, but other tutors either quit or
declined due to his age, or he himself
became frustrated.
The inspirational account of a war veteran
determined to overcome illiteracy at age
89 has resonated beyond Tahlequah and
Cherokee County. His story appeared on the
CBS Evening News segment “On the Road
With Steve Hartman” on March 1, and on
Tulsa and Oklahoma City TV newscasts.
The Huffington Post, MSN and other
outlets as distant as Scotland picked up
the story.
During his interview with CBS, Bray told
viewers “Get in there and learn, baby, now!
‘Cause you ain’t gonna learn in that pine
box.” The Wadley Center is printing Bray’s
advice on T-shirts.
Thompson said the Wadley Center will
always require outside financial support to
fulfill its mission. Interested parties should
contact Peggy Glenn of the NSU Foundation
at 918-458-2143 for information about
donating to the center.
“The work of the Wadley Center is
particularly worthwhile,” Thompson said.
“There are few if any skills in life that make a
greater difference than the ability to read.”
L-R: Dr. Tobi Thompson and WWII veteran Ed Bray visit with Ernie Loganbill of Kansas. Loganbill presented Bray
with a hand-carved walking stick that he made for the veteran after being inspired by his literacy story on CBS news.
NSU named “with distinction” to President’s Community Service Honor Roll
For the fourth consecutive year, the
Corporation for National and Community
Service has named Northeastern State
University to the President’s Higher
Education Community Service Honor
Roll. Additionally, NSU was named to
the Honor Roll with Distinction. Seven
other Oklahoma universities were placed
on the roll, but NSU was the first in the
state and the only institution named
“with distinction.”
“I hope this recognition brings awareness to
NSU’s strong commitment to community
and civic engagement,” said Dr. Laura Boren,
vice president for student affairs.
NSU has multiple service programs that
enrich the community around it. The
programs submitted for consideration for the
honor roll were the Martin Luther King Jr.
Day of Service, the President’s Leadership
Class Oaks Indian Mission Program, the
Fall Festival Halloween Carnival, the NSU
Reading Clinic, the hosting of students from
Tulsa’s Knowledge is Power Program and the
NSU Math Clinic.
“Service experiences empower students to
create positive change,” said Boren. “Service
experiences also build leadership skills. I
believe that it is vital for all our students to
engage in service because of the personal
growth that occurs as a result of serving.”
Community service and projects also
generate greater involvement for students on
campus. Boren said students become more
engaged in learning and with Northeastern,
which results in positive experiences with
and positive attitudes about NSU.
NSU’s commitment to service, and teaching
the value of service to its students, has
created a campus environment that receives
national recognition.

REFLECTIONS
THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF NORTHEASTERN STATE UNIVERSITY
APRIL 2013
Wadley Clinic improves literacy of 89-year-old veteran
For adults, the skills of reading were achieved
in days so bygone that they may barely
remember how it occurred: the long hours of
learning the alphabet, sounding out letters,
then syllables, then whole words, then the
years it took to go from spluttering over
“Dick and Jane” to silently absorbing “The
Outsiders” or Harry Potter.
In a lifetime now spanning 89 years,
Cookson resident Ed Bray had not completed
the process.
“I never could read very much,” he said. “I
made myself learn to read cans in stores or
recognize signs with pictures or symbols. But
I couldn’t read the directions on the back of
the cans.”
Hearing Bray recount his life, it seems
improbable that he could hide his disability
for so long.
He landed at Normandy on D-Day as a
military policeman and was later pressed into
front-line combat with the 94th Infantry
Division as a replacement. He was awarded a
Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.
After the war, Bray spent most of his civilian
career working at Tinker Air Force Base in
Oklahoma City. He moved to Cookson upon
his retirement in 1982.
Dr. Tobi Thompson, director of the Capitola
“Cappi” Wadley Center for Reading and
Technology at NSU, began tutoring him in
October 2012. In late February, he read his
first book by himself.
Bray had previously sought help with his
reading skills, but other tutors either quit or
declined due to his age, or he himself
became frustrated.
The inspirational account of a war veteran
determined to overcome illiteracy at age
89 has resonated beyond Tahlequah and
Cherokee County. His story appeared on the
CBS Evening News segment “On the Road
With Steve Hartman” on March 1, and on
Tulsa and Oklahoma City TV newscasts.
The Huffington Post, MSN and other
outlets as distant as Scotland picked up
the story.
During his interview with CBS, Bray told
viewers “Get in there and learn, baby, now!
‘Cause you ain’t gonna learn in that pine
box.” The Wadley Center is printing Bray’s
advice on T-shirts.
Thompson said the Wadley Center will
always require outside financial support to
fulfill its mission. Interested parties should
contact Peggy Glenn of the NSU Foundation
at 918-458-2143 for information about
donating to the center.
“The work of the Wadley Center is
particularly worthwhile,” Thompson said.
“There are few if any skills in life that make a
greater difference than the ability to read.”
L-R: Dr. Tobi Thompson and WWII veteran Ed Bray visit with Ernie Loganbill of Kansas. Loganbill presented Bray
with a hand-carved walking stick that he made for the veteran after being inspired by his literacy story on CBS news.
NSU named “with distinction” to President’s Community Service Honor Roll
For the fourth consecutive year, the
Corporation for National and Community
Service has named Northeastern State
University to the President’s Higher
Education Community Service Honor
Roll. Additionally, NSU was named to
the Honor Roll with Distinction. Seven
other Oklahoma universities were placed
on the roll, but NSU was the first in the
state and the only institution named
“with distinction.”
“I hope this recognition brings awareness to
NSU’s strong commitment to community
and civic engagement,” said Dr. Laura Boren,
vice president for student affairs.
NSU has multiple service programs that
enrich the community around it. The
programs submitted for consideration for the
honor roll were the Martin Luther King Jr.
Day of Service, the President’s Leadership
Class Oaks Indian Mission Program, the
Fall Festival Halloween Carnival, the NSU
Reading Clinic, the hosting of students from
Tulsa’s Knowledge is Power Program and the
NSU Math Clinic.
“Service experiences empower students to
create positive change,” said Boren. “Service
experiences also build leadership skills. I
believe that it is vital for all our students to
engage in service because of the personal
growth that occurs as a result of serving.”
Community service and projects also
generate greater involvement for students on
campus. Boren said students become more
engaged in learning and with Northeastern,
which results in positive experiences with
and positive attitudes about NSU.
NSU’s commitment to service, and teaching
the value of service to its students, has
created a campus environment that receives
national recognition.